David Kirkwood

A longtime observer of the hearing healthcare scene, David Kirkwood was editor-in-chief of The Hearing Journal from 1990 through 2010. Among the honors he received was a 2006 President’s Award from the American Academy of Audiology. Previously, he spent 15 years as editor and publisher of a weekly community newspaper in Scarsdale, NY. Before finding his way into journalism, he earned degrees in history from Cornell University (where he was an outstanding pinball player) and the University of California at Berkeley. When he isn’t blogging at Hearing Health & Technology Matters, David enjoys spending time with his wife, Annie, going to plays and movies in New York, traveling, and relaxing in their vacation place in Mid-Coast Maine. His other avocations include rooting for the Yankees and throwing tennis balls for his puli, Isaac.

Multiple studies show links between hearing loss and diabetes

SAN DIEGO—A meta-analysis of 11 studies has found a strong correlation between diabetes and hearing loss. A group of Japanese researchers reported that people with hearing loss are about 50% more likely to have diabetes than an otherwise comparable population with normal hearing. The scientists presented their findings on June 23 at the American Diabetes Association’s annual meeting in

Academy displaces ASHA as the voice of audiology on a crucial AMA panel

RESTON, VA–The American Medical Association (AMA) announced on June 23 that it has selected the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) to serve on its Current Procedural Terminology/Health Care Professionals Advisory Committee. The CPT/HCPAC is a panel of specialty societies charged with facilitating the review and development of applications for CPT codes used by qualified non-physician health care professionals. AMA’s decision

Edison descendant will share secrets of innovation with IHS members

BOSTON–If her great grand uncle were “only” America’s greatest inventor, there would still be plenty of interest in Sarah Miller Caldicott’s keynote address at the 2011 International Hearing Society (IHS) Convention. However, what makes Ms. Caldicott such a fitting choice to speak to the hundreds of hearing professionals who will be gathered in Boston on September 15 is that her

Auction date set for HearUSA

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL–The assets of Hear USA, one of the nation’s largest networks of hearing aid dispensing practices, will go up for bids in an auction to be held in the Fort Lauderdale offices of the law firm Berger Singerman P.A. HearUSA, which is based in West Palm Beach, filed under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code on May

Pharma companies team up to develop drugs for hearing loss

PARIS–Sanofi, a major global pharmaceutical company, announced June 16 a 2-year research collaboration with Audion Therapeutics to develop potential treatments for hearing loss through a regenerative medicine approach. Sanofi <www.sanofi.com>, which is based in Paris, and the Dutch company Audion will use technology that Dr. Albert Edge developed at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary’s Eaton-Peabody Laboratory in Boston. Edge, a co-founder

IHS expands presence in Washington, DC

LIVONIA, MI—The International Hearing Society (IHS) has a new face in the nation’s capital. She is Alissa Parady, the organization’s recently named government affairs manager. Because she operates out of Washington, Parady will be positioned to enhance IHS’s relations with DC-based consumer, industry, and government organizations. In announcing this addition to IHS’s government affairs program, Alan Lowell, BC-HIS, ACA, the

Hearing aid market in China, India expected to double in 6 years

VANCOUVER, BC–The hearing aid market in China and India, now valued at over $1 billion, will nearly double by 2017, according to a new report by iData Research (www.idataresearch.net). The Canadian-based authority on the global medical device market includes both retail and wholesale sales in its figures. There is plenty of room for growth, says iData’s analyst manager, Douglas Fung,

Scientists find evidence that early deafness can lead to sharper vision

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND—It has long been popular folk wisdom that people who lose one of their senses early in life help compensate for it by developing another sense more acutely. For example, the large number of blind musicians is sometimes cited as evidence that lack of vision results in enhanced auditory sensibility and thereby promotes outstanding musical gifts. A recent study,

Lions’ largess legalized: Will be allowed to donate hearing aids

SALEM, OR—Lending a helping hand to people with hearing and vision problems has been a Lions Club International mission for decades. One way members of the service organization have done this is by collecting and donating used hearing aids and eyeglasses to people in need. However, in recent years, liability concerns have sometimes stood in their way. The Lions have

Blogger/lawyer wins national award

CHICAGO–Fred Cohen, an attorney who blogs regularly at hearinghealthmatters.com, has been selected by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care to receive its 2011 B.J. Anno Award of Excellence in Communication. Cohen, who writes the weekly column The Law and Hearing on this site, will be honored for his outstanding contribution to the field of correctional health care. He wrote